


Summer Memories

by vocameeku



Category: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, Mentions of hospitals, Summer Vacation, like just at the beginning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:48:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25137169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vocameeku/pseuds/vocameeku
Summary: Homura never thought she'd be able to experience a summer like this, alongside friends and a beautiful, sparkling seashore.(Based off of the Magia Record event story: Beachside Bonds!)
Relationships: Akemi Homura/Kaname Madoka
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	Summer Memories

**Author's Note:**

> I've been watching some Magia Record story stuff recently and I've been showing my friends the event story for Beachside Bonds because.....I just. I just love summer and creepy ghost stories and thinking about Homura being happy so I kept watching it and got inspired. This fic is perfectly fine to read without ever reading the event story!
> 
> Recommended music to listen to while reading (all magireco ost!): taenia memoriae, scaena felix, happy ending

Homura never really liked the summer. All it ever did was make her lightheaded and make her heart beat too fast for comfort. 

Ever since Homura was a child, she’d find herself envying all the other girls her age who got to play together underneath the sun’s rays, carefree and joyous; oblivious to the harsh world surrounding them.

Homura was born with a heart disease. She’d had a couple of surgeries done in her early childhood, and therefore was supposedly in the clear for the majority of the coming years aside from the weekly check-in with her doctor. In her preteen years, though, around 10 or 11, her disease suddenly flared up. 

Her subsequent in-and-out visits to the hospital grew into the inevitable need for inpatient treatment. It was unclear when she’d be released from the hold; her disease seemed only to be getting worse.

In her free time, she’d go through journal after journal, chronicling her daily life; writing poetry and drawing imagined scenes, sketching sunlit skies and scribbling made-up animals, crafting poetry and dreaming of a kinder world. 

Her hospital room’s window looked over a large cityscape with lots of stores and people, so alongside her creative endeavors, she’d occasionally watch gatherings of friends come and go from behind the window in her room. She’d place a hand to the glass and think, _‘what kind of a person am I for being jealous of others just living their lives? I’m terrible.’_

She longed to become someone who could visit those stores each day, who could meet up with friends after school and shop; who had a normal life. 

Instead, for Homura, something as simple and routine as falling asleep was a gamble. They’d hook her up to all sorts of machines overnight. She could never get a full night’s sleep; the nurses would wake her up at 2 AM to check her vitals. All she could do was get used to it. 

Whenever the weather became recognizably warm and the sky a deep blue, Homura’s melancholy followed in the footsteps of the rising temperature. She’d lay in bed all day, drifting in and out of consciousness with one hand on the sill of the open window, which was providing her with the only natural warmth she’d get when trapped within the hospital’s walls. 

The sound of fireworks sparkling and chatting children when summer festivals came alive would sneak their way through Homura’s open window, as if mocking her condition. The only thing she had to look forward to during those nights were the celebratory summer solstice meals the nurses would hand out. It tasted significantly less bland than normal hospital food. Homura would savor it and then write about it in her journal. 

Such memories were all that Homura would be able to recall when asked about summer. Even in childhood were her summers spent inside. She’d never been to a festival before. She’d always dreamed of attending one, though, with her future friends and her new, exciting, heart disease-free life. 

The doctors finally figured out how to help her. _‘If we go through with this surgery,’_ they told her, _‘you’re going to be able to leave the hospital. You can even go back to school.’_

The concept had Homura floored. She was starting to give up on the hope that she’d ever be able to come home again. She almost started believing that hospital would be her grave. 

_‘Really?’_ Homura had said, excitement present in her voice. 

_‘Yes,’_ the doctor had replied. _‘You’re strong enough, too, Homura. You can make it through this operation.’_

Upon approval, the surgery was awaited with baited breath, and...

...it was a success. Homura had never felt luckier in her life. After two or so weeks, she already felt signs of improvement. She was scheduled to go back to school in another month. 

They did warn her, though, that she’d still have to pace herself in everything she does. Her heart would never be able to entirely heal, but for many years to come, they assured her, it’d be all right. 

Homura wasn’t quite used to that concept. She wanted to believe them, but there would always be that nagging fear in the back of her head that another relapse was inevitable.

She was more focused on the impending return to public school, though. She had no idea what she had in store for her. She couldn’t even remember the last time she talked to another person her age. She hadn’t really had a real friend before, either. Most interactions she’d had with classmates were negative. 

The day of Homura’s discharge finally came. Seeing the outside world, walking around on her own two feet -- Homura almost forgot what it was like. She shakily wiped away her tears as the hospital staff clapped for her.

On Homura’s first day, after a rocky introduction, a miracle came into her life. A miracle under the name of Madoka Kaname; the first person to reach out to her. The first person who believed Homura was worth talking to. They connected to each other as if they’d met in a previous life.

What more can one say about Homura Akemi and Madoka Kaname’s story?

A magical twist in fate.

A mysterious pink-haired savior.

True love’s first breath.

An unavoidable future.

A tragic end.

Another chance.

A final loop.

A wish from the heart;

The end of despair.

One special timeline offers us this story.

Homura never really liked the summer. All it ever did was make her lightheaded and make her heart beat too fast for comfort.

This summer, though-- this summer was different. She no longer had to wish to become someone she wasn’t when there were people around her who loved her because she was herself. Even though she couldn’t see what was so special about herself when she looked in the mirror or when she skimmed through her journal entries at night, she knew she wasn’t alone anymore, and that's all she could've asked for. 

_“A sea glows brightly in the summer sun. Basking in the sun’s rays and the fragrant scent of the ocean. Three days of summer fun!”_

Kyoko and Sayaka were playing alongside each other on the shore, splashing up a storm, giggling like children and chasing the waves, endlessly flowing in and away. Mami watched them from afar atop a colorful beach towel, guarded by the shade of her floppy sun hat, smiling fondly.

The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon line. The ocean, a deep blue abyss, was being painted with orange, yellow, and pink hues. It danced back and forth, creating a beautiful scene for two girls to enjoy: Madoka and Homura sat close to each other by the edge of the forest. 

Homura watched her two friends having fun on the shore, closing her eyes when her bangs blew gently by the will of the ocean’s wind. 

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Madoka said. She’d since turned to look at Homura, who met her gaze shortly after she’d heard her speak. 

“The ocean?” Homura replied.

“All of it!” Madoka clarified. “Summer really is the best. You like it too, right, Homura?”

Homura smiled softly. “Yes, I like it.” 

Madoka sighed happily, leaning back on her hands. “I’m so glad Sayaka’s aunt was nice enough to let us stay here!”

“Me too!” Homura leaned back on her hands, following Madoka’s movements. “I’m really glad I get to be here. I never thought…” Homura trailed off, staring up at the darkening sky. She reflected on the summers she once knew; ones full of longing and sorrow. Back then, the heat did nothing but remind her of what she was missing in her life. Being a magical girl living with the burdens Homura had felt hopeless, but it was at times like these when Homura believed things were finally beginning to sort themselves out. Being surrounded by friends on a beach had seemed like a distant, unrealistic dream to her back then.

“Homura?” Madoka leaned forward and tilted her head, perplexed by Homura’s silence.

“Oh, sorry,” Homura said, removing herself from her thoughts. “I was just thinking.”

Madoka only smiled, opting not to pry. “I’m having a great time, too,” she said. “Being a magical girl is hard, but when I get to be with my friends like this and take a break from fighting witches, it makes me feel like it’s all worth it in the end.”

Homura sat up again and faced the waves, pushing up her glasses. “I agree,” she said. “If I never met you, I know for sure I’d be really lonely.” 

Madoka scooted closer to Homura, attempting not to mess up their towel in the process. “I’d be really lonely without you, too, Homura,” Madoka replied. 

Homura felt heat gather in her cheeks. She scooted closer to Madoka in return until their shoulders were touching. 

The pair watched as Kyoko and Sayaka seemed to tire of their game. They ran towards Mami, panting. Although, from what Homura could see, they didn’t stop smiling the whole way through. Mami must’ve said something, because Kyoko looked surprised, and then turned to Sayaka, who was laughing. Homura nudged Madoka and motioned over at their friends, giggling quietly. Madoka, upon seeing them, laughed too, putting a hand over her mouth to hide her smile. 

Just as Homura was wishing this moment could never end, Mami turned and spotted them, motioning for them to come over. 

“Ah, looks like Mami needs us…” Homura pointed out.

“Oh! You’re right.” Madoka stood up, turning to Homura and reaching a hand out. Homura gladly took Madoka’s hand, using her grip to stand herself up. They picked up their towel, shook it off, rolled it up, and met up with the others.

After dinner (which Homura noted to be very delicious), the friends sat in their shared room and talked. Homura went to her bed to write, Mami and Madoka followed her, and Sayaka and Kyoko were loudly conversing about the animals in the aquarium they’d all been to. Madoka and Mami asked to unbraid and then braid Homura’s hair together, to which she said yes. They began unbraiding her hair as she wrote:

_Today was fun. We went to the aquarium and saw_

_cute jellyfish floating alongside each other in the_

_pretty tank. Sayaka and Kyoko are talking about_

_whether or not such creatures are more of friends_

_or more of food. We laughed, maybe a little too much,_

_being in public and all._

Madoka had since begun brushing through Homura’s long, wavy hair, humming a familiar tune. Mami opted to braid one side with Madoka to braid the other. Homura, while relaxing to the comforting feeling of her friends’ hands combing through her hair, continued to write:

_...Later on, I spent some time with just Madoka. (Yay!)_

_We sat together on the soft sand beneath the_

_setting sun and talked aimlessly, as if we didn’t_

_have a single care at all. Madoka doesn’t know_

_everything about me, so she can’t possibly_

_understand how much something small like being at_

_the beach with her means to me, but somehow, she always knows_

_exactly what to say. I nearly cried from happiness_

_and was planning on blaming it on the salty breeze._

_Now, her and Mami are braiding my hair. I’ve never had_

_anyone else touch my hair before, so I was nervous,_

_but they’re both very gentle, and I’m having fun._

_This must be what friendship truly is._

“Homura, will you please pass me your hair tie?” Mami asked. 

“Oh, yes,” Homura said, placing her pencil down in between the pages of her notebook and reaching for one of her purple ribbons. She placed it in Mami’s open palm.

“Me too, please!” Madoka added. 

“Of course!” Homura chirped. She picked up the other ribbon and handed it to Madoka. Both girls tied her hair at the ends.

“All right,” Mami said, “take a look at that bow!” Mami showed Homura her handiwork on the end of her braid. 

“That’s amazing, Mami. Thank you.” Homura smiled at her earnestly. 

“Me too! Homura, I tied it just like my own ribbons!” Madoka placed the tip of Homura’s braid in her hands. 

“Wow, it really does look like yours!” Homura brushed her thumb along the bow. “You and Mami are so good with ribbons and braids…” 

“Did it feel nice to have someone play with your hair?” Mami asked. 

“Yes, nicer than I expected.” Homura replied shyly. “I’ve never had anyone brush my hair before, so…”

“I’m surprised! I mean, your hair is so beautiful! It’s so soft and long. I wish I could have hair just like yours,” Madoka complimented, sitting in front of Homura on her bed. 

“I think your hair is much prettier,” Homura said. “It’s so cute, and it always looks perfect in your style.” Homura reached out and touched the ends of Madoka’s hair. 

“Do you want to play with it sometime?” Madoka asked.

“Me?” Homura stuttered. “I mean, yes, I’d love to, but wouldn’t you want someone better at hair, like Mami?”

Madoka shook her head. “It’s special if it’s Homura.”

Homura averted her gaze, blushing. “In that case, I’d love to try braiding it.”

Mami, who had since gotten up to fetch her pillow from her bag, stood beneath the doorway with her hand on the light switch. “Would you like me to turn off the lights, everyone?”

“Whoa! Hang on, Mami! We were just about to finish up our conversation!” Kyoko exclaimed.

“Yeah! Just a few more minutes?” Sayaka whined.

Mami shook her head. “It’s best if we get rest now, since it’s already late. We’re going on a walk on the beach tomorrow, remember? We’ll need to sleep well for that. You have all the time in the world to talk tomorrow, you two.”

Kyoko rolled her eyes. “Okay, Mom,” she grumbled, climbing into her futon. Kyoko had the habit of falling asleep almost inhumanly quickly -- she began snoring in seconds.

“How does she even _manage_ that…?” Sayaka whispered, baffled.

Mami sighed and shook her head. “I’m going to turn the lights off now, then. Goodnight, everyone! Sleep well, okay?”

“Yeah, what she said! Don’t sleep in too much!” Sayaka said. 

“With you and Kyoko around, it’d be impossible,” Mami said, jokingly. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight!” Madoka said.

“Yes, goodnight.” Homura curled up underneath her blanket. 

Homura closed her eyes, attempting to fall asleep as quickly as she could to get to their next endeavor. A few minutes passed.

“Homura?” Madoka whispered. 

Homura opened her eyes and rolled over to Madoka, whose futon was right next to her’s. “Yes?” Homura replied, equally as quiet. 

Madoka seemed to hesitate for a moment. Then, wordlessly, she reached her hand in Homura’s direction.

Confused, but probably getting the message, Homura took Madoka’s hand. Madoka squeezed it, confirming that Homura did the right thing. Homura thought she could make out a smile on Madoka’s face within the darkness. 

They fell asleep like that; Homura's hand wrapped around Madoka's. The ocean sang them all to sleep that night, weaving them dreams in which a familiar Goddess held them tight and wished them well.

_“Let’s believe this wonderful summer will be one of many to come. I know you can save the world. You have behind you the power of something stronger than anything: love.”_

_“Now you rest soundly in sleep tonight, hand-in-hand with your hope. Let it empower you,_

_Homura Akemi.”_

**Author's Note:**

> I love the concept of Homura journalling...
> 
> https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/magiarecord-en/images/c/cd/NA_banner_0105_m.png
> 
> Comments and conversation appreciated!!


End file.
